Body Cavity

body cavity

[′bäd·ē ‚kav·əd·ē]

(anatomy)

The peritoneal, pleural, or pericardial cavities, or the cavity of the tunica vaginalis testis.

Body Cavity

in animals and man, the space bounded by the internal surface of the body wall. The internal organs are distributed in the body cavity. The primary body cavity does not have a wall, whereas the secondary body cavity, or coelom, is lined with sheets of epithelial mesodermal cells. In vertebrates the secondary body cavity is divided into the pericardial cavity and the abdominal cavity. In mammals, including man, the abdominal cavity is divided by the diaphragm into the thoracic cavity, which is lined with the pleura and contains the lungs, and the abdominal cavity proper, which is lined with the peritoneum and contains the digestive, excretory, and sex organs.

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.